25th May 2019 - Andrew

Our tour ends here with a bit of information about those who live on the island now - about 15-30 people in the summer and only one custodian in the winter. We head to the museum which houses the fragile objects removed from the homes:

  • Everyday domestic things - a hot tray, fish hooks, decorated tables
  • Large mosaics
  • The remaining lion’s of Apollo - eroded but still intimidating.
  • Sculptures in marble: Beautiful sexy Rubenesque woman; realistic heads with oriental and African features; folded material togas which are subtle and beautiful.

We wander the museum and the tourists with us rush off to take the boat. We stay and drink coffee and dessert at the rough third world cafe (grim toilets and someone braaing food among the flies in the back).

Then we walk alone through the ruined city - quiet and timeless. Just 45 minutes of quiet time by the sacred lake and through the city stolen before we the next boat back to Mykonos.

We swim, drink cocktails and change before heading to the new port to catch a ferry to Ikaria where people don’t wear watches and the Greeks go to relax.

On the late night ferry the sea is rough and we sit on a back deck with too many diesel fumes - after an hour we’re both feeling pretty ill and head inside. At Ikaria at 11pm we get off and drag our heavy stuff to the Atheras Hotel - a simple place that is nice enough - we collapse exhausted, but feeling hardcore.

25th May 2019 - Cara

The hand of the fallen statue is in the museum. There are also two bits of torso about 200m from the plinth. The idea is that looters tried to take them but they were too heavy and they left them where they lay. Only the base remains which gives some idea of what its size must have been.

The quiet time alone is wonderful but too short. Boats are few and far between. If we didn't catch the 3pm we’d have to wait for 7.30pm which was too late for our 8.45pm ferry. But the island is very quiet - barely any tourist wait for 3pm - so we have the cobbled streets to ourselves.

Before we leave Mykonos we have an early supper at Niko’s taverna. It’s rough and ready and the food is good. We have wonderful kleftiko, tasty retsina wine, skate (dish of the day) and Niko’s special dessert - an orange cake. We eat vegetable soup and Mykonian pie (onion with herbs) for starters which are also great.

It’s quite surreal coming off the ferry in the dark. There is a long line of cars waiting. A small harbour against a steep hillside. There is much flurry and movement but the town seems very quiet after Mikonos. When we get to our hotel I’m fairly woozy - like I’m still on a boat. I lie down and we go to sleep as soon as possible.

earlier